The Rise of Bio-Batteries for Sustainable Energy

The biobattery utilizes organic electrogenic microorganisms for the transfer of electrons across their cell membranes. These batteries must maintain long-term sustainability by ensuring that enzymes diffuse adequately in situations where they are immobilized against degradation.

Choi and his team at Binghamton University are trying to make the biobatteries less expensive and more scalable. Their recent efforts are concentrated on renewable feedstock, such as using lignin from plant waste.

Considered a renewable energy source

Batteries are supplying power to portable electronic devices that we continuously depend on to provide instant access to information without having to wait on downloads over a network. Unfortunately, batteries are highly unsafe for the environment, since manufacturing causes untold amounts of damage to the environment; this leads scientists into exploring alternatives like bio-batteries - electrochemical devices for generating electricity using biomass fuels such as glucose or ethanol- the technology also prevents usage of rare materials which otherwise would need some geopolitical considerations concerning the production of electricity.

Bio-batteries are environmentally friendly solutions that have many advantages: They provide a prolonged current, which could come in handy in places away from civilization, where electricity truly might not reach; thus, producing them locally will make them cheaper, aninteresting concept for developing nations where energy access is still a dream. 

Bio-batteries constitute very attractive alternatives, but their development needs to be pushed much further, or their true worth will never be appreciated. Maximum performance and charge-discharge cycling require the way each particular organic material interacts with microorganisms, therefore, one research from CIC EnergiGUNE's Cell Prototyping research group showcased the capability of such batteries to withstand extended periods of storage without losing biocatalytic activity or moisture activation, enabling deployment in various environments easily.

They are safe to use

The bio-battery is an alternative to the traditional battery in its use of living cells to generate electricity. The major advantage is being totally safe for use and without toxic metals-safest for the environment. Also with its considerable life, it can produce sufficient power for small items .i.e. toys or cell phones.  

This biobattery was developed by researchers at the Binghamton University, to operate IoT sensors in remote and harsh environments, which does not rely upon the likes of cadmium or lithium batteries, but rather their technology utilises three species of bacteria which break down biological molecules and liberate electrons, thereby potentially causing the environmental impacts associated with the deployment of sensor networks in such environments to be lessened. 

At the heart of this battery is a terracotta pot with its air cathode and an anode from dried grass and common salt producing a maximum peak power of 1.06mW charging with electrical current in 30 minutes. The ongoing efforts are directed towards improving performance and lifespan. 

Professor Seokheun Choi of Binghamton University in New York has also spearheaded the commercialization of bio-battery technology. His laboratory is collaborating with Touchlight Genetics, a UK company specializing in enzymatic manufacture of DNA, which enjoys joint funding from Dstl and ONR for its participation in this project. 

They charge almost 10 times faster than a conventional battery

With the mushrooming use of mobile technology, it is becoming more urgent that sustainable energy sources are found to power it. While scientists and engineers are working to make these sources lighter or more enduring, it is equally worth considering their raw material sources-many popular battery components are mined by child laborers in a few countries, thereby raising supply chain issues.

Touchlight Genetics together with the Minteer Research Group at the University of Utah has come up with an efficient type of biobattery known as DNA Redox Battery. The scheme envisioned proper diffusion so that byproducts from each enzyme could efficiently be passed on. On the other hand, immobilizing the enzymes prevents them from being quickly exhausted before dying off. 

Despite being still in the experimental phase, the biobattery has prospects of being a real alternative to conventional batteries. It is made from natural and non-toxic ingredients, leakage-proof in other words, for the safety of the environment, can be recharged in 10 minutes, thus being suitable for charging any portable mobile devices. 

Biobatteries are viable only to a limited extent and mostly for research purposes; hence, they constitute a giant step toward obtaining commercially usable replacements for lithium-ion batteries. Indeed, researchers have discovered ways to charge such batteries quickly and prolong their lifespan. 

They are leakage-proof

The technology is based on a biobattery, which produces power from the natural organic compounds, a sustainable energy without any toxic waste. But so far, the biobattery is still in the experimental stage, and it is expected to increase in market share due to increasing consciousness with respect to environmental degradation and shrinking resource.

Where in conventional batteries lithium ions and electrons migrate between anode and cathode to produce electricity, bio-batteries generate electricity by chemical actions inside the living cells. These bio-batteries are made as alternatives to lithium-ion batteries that can withstand leakages, and they utilize organic substances that can afford multiple usages without destruction - which, therefore makes biobatteries much cheaper than traditional ones and don't produce toxic wastes like the standard batteries do. 

Many advantages accrue to these batteries over their predecessors, such as no external power consideration and faster charging without risk for explosion or leakage. These characteristics make for its friendly environment and friendly to health, thus solving potential environmental and health hazards presented by the traditional batteries.